Implement holder



G. P. HElG LE No'v. 1s,l 1947.

IMPLEMENT HOLDER Gear' Filed May 22, 1946 vvaaeys' Patented Nov. 18, 1947 UNITED STATES t PATENT VOl'fiflC-E l 2,431,118: I f Y l IMPLEMENT HQLDER v George P. Heigle, Boston, Mass. Application May 22, 194e, sriaiiv. 671,637 Y This `invention relates to an implement holder adaptable to a wide variety of implements such as thinrcutter blades employed in surgery, in the manufacture of shoes, in wood carving, in whittling, in modeling and for various other `purposes and also adaptable to a wide variety of implements or tools such as screw drivers, illes, putty knives and other implements purposely constructed to iit the holder.

The object of the invention is to provide such a holder to which any one of a variety of such implements or tools may be quickly fitted and firmly and securely held,- thus enabling the different implements conveniently to be substituted one for the other as the various operations may require, and at the same time holding the attached implement properly positioned and rigidly secured in place.

The nature and purpose of the invention will appear more fully from the accompanying description and drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

The drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention together with examples adaptable thereto.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one form of holder with one form of thin blade in place and prior to the parts being brought into implement locking position.

Fig. 2 is a view in longitudinal cross section of the construction shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the holder showing a slightly different form.

Fig. 4 is an end view of the holder shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 5 is a detail oi a plunger construction of the form adapted to go with a holder having the end construction shown in Fig. 3.

Figs. 6 to 10 inclusive illustrate some of the implements in the form of types of thin blades for surgical and other purposes adaptable for use with the holder.

Fig. 11 is a view partially in longitudinal cross section of the end of a holder adaptable for holding a tool such as a screw driver purposely constructed to fit the holder.

Fig. 12 is a view of the end of the tool shown in Fig. 11 taken at right angles to the position in Fig. 11.

Fig. I3 is an end view of the holder shown in Fig. 11.

Fig. 14 is a view of the inner end of the plug shown in Fig. 11.

The holder in the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 7 claims. (orme- 53) ably knurled at 6.'

"ofthe plug 2, and at sleeve 3 and extends over` and is centered by the comprises a tubular handle I of suitable diame- -terand length to be grasped and held by the hand 'of the operator.` This tubular handle has at its outer end a preferably removable tubular plug Zitightly tting the tubular portionv I so as to be rigid therewith. These parts may be made of metal, plastic, or any suitable material.

A sleeve 3 provided with a threaded bore 4 has a telescoping fit within the handle and is provided 'with a closed -end 5 extending over and adapted` to abut against the end of the handle I.v The periphery of this closed end 5 is desir- The plug 2 which closes the opposite end ofthe handle is provided with a bore 'I extending' longitudinally therethrough, and at `its outerend isprovided with a transverse groove II as shown in Fig. 4.

A plunger is located in the handle and has at one 'end a cylindrical threaded shank portion 9 co-operating with the threaded bore 4.0i the sleeve 3l and a semi-cylindrical shank portion Il) .extending from the threaded shank portion. 9 out through the bore 1 of the plug 2. and at its outer `end is hook shaped with the face of the hook the fl'at face of the preferably made be made of extending in a bevel from shank portion. This plunger is of'metal, but it and the sleeve 3 may plasticV or other suitable material.

An` expansionA spring -I2 is located `within the tubular handle,V abutsat one end the innerA end the opposite end abuts the I shouldered portion of the sleeve.

40' vtransverse groove f Ekamples of some of the implements in the v l form of thin cutter'blades to which the holder is adaptable are shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 9. These provided with a hole I3 Il in the end of the plug 2. Other examples of implements with which the holder is adapted to co-operate are shown in Figs.

" 8 and10 and in this case are provided with an edge portion I5 to be engaged by the hook or the plunger and a straight edge I6 adapted to seat in the transverse groove II of the plug 2.

l Then by pressing the is compressed and the In the operation of the holder, the sleeve 3 is unscrewed with respect to the plunger so that the end of the sleeve projects well out from the tubular portion I of the handle as shown in Fig. 1`.' sleeve inward, the spring I2 hook of the plunger is projected out through the plug 2. This enables the implement to be engaged by the hook. Then upon release of the sleeve, the spring I2 expands forcing the sleeve outward and causing the hook to draw the blade down into its seat in the transverse groove as shown in Fig. 1. 'I'he face of the hook and the face of the groove I are beveled toward each other from the flat face of the plunger and thus the tendency is to force the blade against the flat face of the plunger thereby properly positioning the blade in place. Then by screwing up the sleeve until its closed end 5 firmly abuts the end of the tubular handle I, as shown in Fig. 2, the blade is rigidly locked in position.

For some purposes and with some sizes of the device it is desirable that the beveled side wall of the groove in which the straight edged end of the implement seats shall be continuous, and for that purpose this wall is formed as shown in Fig. 3k

upon a separate piece |50 as an inset in the end of the plug 2. This inset may be secured in place after the parts are assembled or it may first be permanently secured in place, and when this is done, the plunger is preferably made in two parts ias shown in Fig. 5. With the semi-cylindrical shank portion |60 secured to the cylindrical threaded shank portion in any suitable manner as by the pins IB. This enables the shank portion |60 to be inserted through the plug 2 then secured to the threaded shank portion and then the plug 2 secured in the tubular handle A slight variation of the construction of the holder is shown in Figs. 11 to 14 inclusive, by means of which it is adaptable to the holding of a wide variety of implements or tools of which a screw driver will serve as an example and which are purposely constructed to t the holder.

In this type of implement, such as the screw driver 20 illustrated, the end is provided with a flat shoulder 2| to seat iirmly against the end of the plug 22 of the holder and with a projection fitting in the bore of the plug. This projection preferably presents a section 23 extending from the ilat face 2| and snugly tting the bore of the plug, and then a flat plate-like projection 24 adapted to seat against the flat face of the shank ofthe hook and provided with a hole 25 to be engaged by the hook.

The bore of the plug may be of various shapes and preferably the outer end is of square cross section 26 as shown in Fig. 13, and the section 23 of the tool is of square cross section to t therein, while the inner end of the bore is of semi-circular cross section 21 as shown in Fig. 14 to t the semicircular shank portion such as |60 of the hook.

The operation of the device is the same as that already described except that in this case the hook, when in locking position, is entirely within the bore of the plug of the handle, and holding the tool rmly seated against the end of the plug.

There is thus presented a very simple and efficient construction of a holder adaptable to a wide variety of implements and by means of which any desired one of the said implements may be readily secured in place to the handle, heldin position by the expanding spring, and -rmly locked in position by screwing up the sleeve until it abuts the end of the tubular handle. f

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

1. A holder adapted to hold any one of a variety of implements comprising a tubular handle; a sleeve telescoping and rotative in the handle, having a, threaded bore and a closed end to extend over and abut the end of the handle; a closure for the other end of the handle having a bore therethrough; a plunger having a semicylindrical shank portion with a hook at its end to extend through the closure and a threaded shank portion co-operating with the threaded bore of the sleeve; and an expansion spring in the handle expanding between the closure and the sleeve, whereby the implement may be yieldingly held and positioned between the hook and the closure by the expanding spring with the plunger and sleeve extended and may then be rigidly locked in position by screwing in the sleeve until its end abuts the handle.

2. A holder as defined in claim 1 in which the closure is provided with a transverse groove in its face forming a seat for the end of the implement.

3. A holder as dened'in claim 1 in which the closure is provided with a transverse groove in its face forming a seat for the end of the implement and in which the face of the hook and the face of the groove extend from theffiiat face of the plunger beveled toward each other and thus act to force and secure the implement against the flat face of the plunger.

ll. A holder having the construction defined in claim 1 in which the closure is provided with a transverse groove in its face forming a seat for the end of the implement, and in which the face of the groove extends in an outward bevel from the flat face of theplunger and is formed on an inset secured in the end of the closure.

5. A holder having the construction dened in claim 1 in which the closure is provided with a transverse groove in its face forming a seat for the end of the implement, and in which the face of the groove extends in an outward bevel from the ilat face of the plunger and is formed on an inset secured in the end of the closure, and in which the semi-cylindrical shank portion of the plunger is a separate part secured to the threaded shank portion. I

6. The combination with a holder as defined k in claim 1 of an implement having a shoulder to t against the end of the closure and an apertured projection to extend within the bore of the closure for engagement with the hook.

7. The combination with a holder as defined in claim 1 and in which the outer end of the bore of the closure is of polygonal cross section, of an implement having a shoulder to fit against the end of the closure and a projection of polygonal cross section Corresponding to that of the end of the bore and terminating in a ilat projection seating against the flat face of the plunger and provided with a hole engaged by the hook.

GEORGE P. HEIGLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES' PATENTS 

